It had been more than 10 months since the Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks last played, when Duncan Keith elbowed Daniel Sedin in the head at the United Center. An entire postseason, offseason and lockout all had happened in the meantime.

But Vancouver hadn't forgotten. Not its fans. Not its players. Not its media.

''Is that still an issue?'' Hawks winger Patrick Kane said when asked about it after the morning skate Friday. ''Seems like that was a long time ago. I don't think anyone's really thought about that in here.''

Well, plenty of people have thought about it in Vancouver.

''Any time you make a cheap shot on one of our best players, you leave a sour taste in some guys' mouths,'' Canucks winger Dale Weise said.

As though this rivalry — one Hawks center and noted Sedin agitator Dave Bolland called the best in the NHL — needed any more juice to it.

''It's a great rivalry,'' Weise said. ''We're not going to forget what happened last year, but obviously we've got to go out and play the game. It's a big two points.''

As for Keith, he stood before the horde of cameras and microphones and repeatedly said he was focused [br][br]on the game, not on what the Canucks might have in store for him. He was suspended for five games for the elbow on Sedin on March 21, a hit that gave Sedin a concussion and knocked him out for a month — including the first three games of the Canucks' five-game playoff loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

Keith insisted he wasn't a dirty player, essentially saying he got caught up in the intensity of the game.

''For the most part, I'm a pretty honest player,'' he said. ''Obviously, I got suspended and was punished for that, so it's something I wasn't very proud of. For me, it's in the past.''